Fire-escape



W. A. BUOKLEY.

FIRE ESCAPE. f

N0. 119,108. Patented Jan. 7,1890.

(No Model.) 3 SheetsS heet 2.

W. A. BUOKLEY. FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 419,108. Patented Jan. 7,1890.

iarll l Hui J? en, 2 07" I (No Model.) I '3 Sheets-$heet 3.

BUCKLEY.

E ESCAPE.

Patented Jan.7,1890.

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ifi g z away dicates the supporting-frame of the escape,

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. BUCKLEY, OF GAINESVILLE, VIRGINIA.

Fl RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 419,108, dated January '7, 1890.

Application filed March 11, 1889. Serialllo. 302,921. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. BUCKLEY, ofGainesville, in the county of Prince illiain and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire- Escapes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in fire-escapes; and it consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved, cheap, simple, effective, and safe friction fire-escape provided with an improved automatic braking or speed-regulating device, whereby the rate of descent will not be too rapid whether the person descending be of-great or light weight; also to provide an improved braking device to be applied at will by the person descending, and to provide a spring whereby the rope will be automaticallyreturned to its normal position after a person has descended.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents perspective view of the fire-escape. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View of the braking device operated by the person descendin Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the shoe of the automatic brake. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing an additional automatic brake. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the additional brake, and Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of portions of the device for supporting a person descending by the rope.

In the drawings, the reference-letter a inwhich is adapted to be secured to the upper portion of a building. In the upper portion of this frame a reel or drum 5 is journaled. Upon the drum the escape rope or cord 0, by which descent is made, is normally wound. In the lower part of the supporting-frame a drum (1 is journaled, and this drum is connected with the reel 1) by means of a gearwheel secured to the drum and meshing with a gear-wheel secured to the reel. Thus when the rope is drawn from the reel the same is rotated,.and rotates the drum through the medium of the gearing against the tension of a clock-spring e within said drum. Thus when a person has descended to the ground and released the rope the action of the spring will immediately draw up the rope and wind the same upon the drum. The lower portion of the frame is provided with a forwardlyextending arm, upon which the arms ff are pivoted within their lengths. At their inner ends each one of these arms is provided with a brake-shoe g, adapted to bear upon the periphery of the drum 61. One of these arms extends from its pivotal point to the upper side of the drum, and its opposite end extends outwardly, and the other arm ext-ends beneath the drum,while its opposite end extends outwardly above the first-mentioned arm, and is provided with an eye. A cord 7L at one end is secured to the free end of the lower arm, and is then passed upward through the eye in the upper arm. From thence the cord extends to or near the ground, so that a person descending by the cord 0 can regulate the speed of descent by pulling down on the cord h, which will draw the free outer ends of the arms ff toward each other, and thus, of course, the inner ends of the same toward each other, and the brake-shoes g g upon the upper and lower sides of the drum.

A frame 1; at its upper end is loosely secured to the upper portion of the supporting-frame. This frame 1' extends down in front of the reel and drum, and at its lower end is provided with a brake-shoe to bear upon the periphcry of the drum, and near its upper portion is provided with a roller 7., to bear upon the rope c, wound on the reel, and thus cause the rope to wind evenly and tightly upon the same when in operation.

The brake-shoe j is provided with a transdraw. the shoe a against the drum.

rope 0. Thus it will be readily seen that when a person of light weight is descending by the rope the lateral pressure of the same upon the roller Z, and the consequent pressure of the brake-shoe j upon the drum, will be sufficient to retard the speed of descent the required amount; but the pressure in this case will be less than Where a person of heavy weight is descending, so that the speed of descent will be about the same, no matter whether the person descending be of light or heavy Weight. If the brake. j does not sufficiently retard the speed, the person descending has merely .to pull down on the cord h and operate the other braking device.

The frame 2' can be loosely secured tothe main supporting-frame, or it can be rigidly secured to the same with a normal tendency to spring outwardly.

If desired, an additional automatic brake can,v be employed,consisting of a frame m, loosely secured to the main frame of the escape, and extending downwardly on the opposite side from the frame 2' and curving outwardly to pass around and beneath the reel b, and beneath said reel this frame is provided with a tube n, through which the escape-rope 0 passes, the tube being in such a position that the rope is diverted from its natural course to pass through the same. Erom the tube n the frame extends downwardly, and at its lower end is provided with a brake-shoe 0, bearing on the'opposite side of the periphery of the drum (Z from the shoe j. Thus it will be seen that the weight of a person upon the rope 0 will exert'a corre sponding lateral pressure on the tube on and If the brakes j and 0 are used together in one machine, the rope will follon the course shown inFig. 5.

A person is easily secured to the rope c'by means ofa belt 19, adapted to pass around the body and provided with a buckle, by meansof which the belt can be drawn tight, consistingof the frame q, provided with the tongue T. This frame is also provided with atube 8,, through which therope 71. passes, so that the same will always be within reach, and the belt is connected to the rope c by means of two or more ropes t, secured to rope c, and extending downwardly and secured to the opposite sides of the belt by means of eyes w, one of which is preferably formed on the buckle-frame.

It is evident that various changes might be made in the form and arrangement of the various parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction herein set forth.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, anddesire to secure by Letters Paten 1. Afire-escape comprising a supportingframe, a reel mounted in the same, the escaperope wound upon the reel, a drum mounted in the frame, gearing connecting the reel and drum to rotate together, a spring in the drum to rotate the reel to wind the rope upon the same, and one or more brake-shoes bearing on the periphery of the drum, substantially as described.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination of the supporting-frame, a reel mounted in the same, upon which the descending rope is Wound, a pair of crossed levers pivoted to the frame to swing in a vertical plane, brake-shoes on the inner corresponding ends of said levers adapted to bear on opposite sides of the periphery of a rotary part of the escape actuated by the movement of the descending rope, and a cord extending down beside the escaperope to draw the free endsof the levers toward each other, substantially as described.

3. In a fire-escape, the combination of a Supporting frame, a reel mounted in the frame, a descendingrope Wound on said'reel, a drum mounted in the frame connected by gearing to rotate with said reel, a pair of crossed levers-pivoted to the frame and at theircorresponding ends providedwith brakeshoes bearing on the upper and lower sides of. the periphery of said drum, and a rope to draw the outer free ends of thelevers together and press the shoes against the drum,substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a fire-escape, of a supportingframe, a descending rope supported thereby, a drum mounted in said frame and rotated by the movement of said rope, and a braking device forsaid'reel, comprising a frame pivoted to the supportingframe and havinga shoe bearing against said drum, said pivoted frame diverting said rope laterally from its course, whereby the lateral pressure of the rope when under strain forces the shoe against the drum, substantially as described.

5.. In a fire-escape, the combination of the supporting-frame, a drum mounted therein, a movable frame carried by the supportingframe, a brake-shoe carried by said frame to bear against said drum andprovided with an aperture therethrough, and the conveying-rope of theescape adapted to rotatesaid drum by its movement and pass through said opening of the brake-shoe and press the same against the drum, substantially as described.

6. A fire-escape comprising a supportingframe, a reel mounted in the same, the conveying oresc pe rope- Wound upon the reel, a drum mounted in the frame and rotated by said reel, a movable frame provided with a roller bearing onthe rope on the reel, and a brake-shoe carried by said movable frame to bear against the drum, said escape-rope pass ing through and bearing on a roller in said shoe to press the shoe against the drum by the lateral pressure of the rope, tending to straighten, substantially as described.

7. A fire-escape comprising a supportingmounted in the frame and connected with and adapted to rotate with the reel, said drum being adapted to rotate the reel to Wind up the rope, and an automatic braking device bearing upon the periphery of the drum, substantially as described.

8. In a fire-escape, the combination of the escape-rope, a belt secured to the same, and a buckle and tongue whereby the belt can be adjusted, said buckle being provided with a IO tube or opening, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM A. BUCKLEY. Witnesses:

HUBERT E. PEoK, EUGENE O. DUFFY. 

